Our life sciences practice draws on the complementary experience and expertise of multiple practice groups.  For example, we bring to bear the scientific expertise of a large and growing Intellectual Property and Technology Group to address IP rights and issues relevant to our clients operating in the fields of health care, biotechnology, nanotechnology and pharmaceuticals.  These include:

• Advertising and promotion
• Business method patents
• Complex patent litigation
• Freedom to operate opinions
• Intellectual property assessments and strategy counseling
• International Trade Commission patent litigation
• Internet security, privacy policies, Web site and electronic marketing
• IP transactions such as licensing, joint development, mergers and acquisitions
• Joint/cooperative research and development agreements
• Licensing, buying and selling intellectual property
• Patent and trade secret protection
• Patent prosecution, planning, and portfolio management 
• Trademark and copyright counseling, protection and litigation

Our team includes a large number of professionals - both attorneys and scientific advisors - with PhD's and advanced degrees in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, the Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Genetics, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biology and Plant Pathology.  Working together, this team combines experienced legal counsel with expert scientific knowledge to support patent claims, fight infringements, and generally protect intellectual property, which represents the key assets of many organizations.

Our Intellectual Property and Technology Group works in close collaboration with our nationally recognized Venture Technology Group, which helps emerging companies grow, succeed and, move to other levels, including through public offerings of their equity, mergers or acquisition.  Our services in this arena include:

• Venture capital and private equity funding
• Strategic transactions including: licensing, joint research and development, sales and marketing, co-promotion and other alliances
• Counseling on corporate formation, structuring and governance
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Public offering of securities
• Clinical trial
• Manufacturing
• Compensation and employee and executive benefits 
• IP strategies
• Technology commercialization and spin-offs
• Representation of public companies

Sonnenschein’s life sciences team also includes the firm's prominent, national Health Care Group, which together with Sonnenschein's widely respected Public Law and Policy Strategies Group provides specialized counsel in connection with:

• Antitrust issues
• Clinical research and trials
• Corporate transactions (mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, divestitures and joint ventures)
• Drug and device coverage and reimbursement strategies
• Government investigations and litigation 
• Licensing and accreditation strategies
• Medical privacy issues
• Medical staff and peer review
• Medicare and Medicaid regulatory compliance
• Physician-hospital alignment strategies
• Product development risk management
• Regulatory counseling and compliance, including ERISA
• Stark and anti-kickback law compliance
• Tax counseling

For more information on Sonnenschein’s Life Sciences Practice, contact David Gaier in Short Hills, New Jersey.